Category: Chinese

Chinese, Sides, Singapore, Snack

Chicken and Crabstick Wontons

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I think I’ve perfected in making wontons, my way. The kind where the family cannot stop eating and where everything will be gone in seconds!

I’ve learnt that the secret is really to make the filling moist and flavourful. In the supermarket, they’re selling these small ready cut crab sticks. Yes, I know it’s processed but they add so much flavour and softness contrast to the dense minced chicken. For the chicken, I used tender fillet cute and just blend them. But I think my secret ingredient that the family likes without knowing what it is – carrots! Not traditional Chinese, I know but it adds natural sweetness to the filling.

Seasoning: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, cornstarch.

Method: Deep fry is the only way to go, baby! There is no way you can get crispy juicy wontons by air frying them…

Mix minced or blended chicken tenders, small cubes of crab sticks (use fresh prawns is ok too, I’ve done it before), shredded carrots and then season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper and a tiny teaspoon of cornflour/cornstarch. I don’t add salt but if you want more flavour, you should add. For us, since we eat wontons with a mix of chilli sauce and Indonesian kecap manis, I see no need for salt.
Use good quality square wontons.
Deep fry and enjoy hot! Warm is also ok. But seriously, who can wait.

Asian Dishes, Chinese, Seafood

Steamed Seabass with Soy Ginger Sauce

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I love making this dish. I can’t remember if I’ve ever posted it before here, but this is so easy and delicious to make that I have to keep it here for my children to access them in future.

The best fish to use over here is kuhlbarra seabass. I think it’s a certain breed or brand but the meat and cut of it is thick. The local seabass here, if we fillet it, tends to be super thin.

Steam the fish. I used a wok to steam the fish till just done.
The important aspect of this dish is the sauce. Here, I have sesame oil, garlic and loads of ginger.
Then add soy sauce and a dash of oyster sauce.
Add water. Let it simmer and then add one tablespoon of sugar.
To assemble, quickly boil a handful of Chinese greens. Add the fish on top and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle some finely cut bird’s eye chillies if you like it hot. So yummy!
Asian Dishes, Chinese, Seafood, Singapore

Fried Garoupa with Sweet and Sour Sauce

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It’s still Chinese New Year here and hence the price of fish here is exorbitant. Well, generally prices of foods and goods here are crazy high compared to elsewhere but with CNY, it’s worse when it comes to fish. But I forgot. And I had to feed the family. And so I went home with two small pieces of greasy Garoua for $30 SGD. My mom was so shocked when I told her the story.

Which meant that I had to make sure the fish did justice to my pocket! Inspired by Marion (she has like the best YouTube channel ever!), I tried to emulate her fried fish with sweet and sour sauce.

First step. Frying the fish. We all will never have a pan big enough to fry a whole fish. And even though my pricey Garoua were small, I still had that tail overhang and of course while trying to get that part cooked, I killed it. Haha. So I suggest getting a giant wok or getting a smaller fish. Marion’s step to coat it with corn flour first works.

So there’s the fish, coated with flour )but before that rubbed with some salt) frying away. And while that’s frying, you make the sauce.

In a saucepan, add a bit of oil and sesame oil then sauté minced garlic. Add sliced ginger (I used about 6 small pieces) and then diced capsicums. You should add cubes onion pieces too but in my household nobody eats onions so I had to omit that. Then add freshly cubes pineapple pieces. Marion said you’ve got to use fresh. I had no choice but to use canned. She was right, fresh is better. I also added one finely chopped green chilli padi, or bird eye’s chilli.

For the saucy bit, add a bit of water (enough to cover the vegetables), then four tablespoons of brown sugar, one teaspoon of tamarind paste, one tablespoon of soy sauce and a splash of lemon juice. You should add a bit of Chinese five spice powder but I had forgotten that. I added as well one tablespoon of Heinz All Natural ketchup.

And then that’s I! Voila! Sprinkle with lots of fresh coriander and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal that would really cost much more in restaurants (despite my complaints of pricey fish during CNY period).

I had made a simple soy sauce fried sea prawns to go with the fish as well. Hence that plate of prawns in the background.

Try it but be prepared to do lots of cleaning up too! Frying fish and seafood is a lot of mess. 😅

Asian Dishes, Chinese, Poultry, Soups

Herbal Chicken in a Thermo Pot

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I used to watch over my pot boiling for hours this chicken soup dish but with the thermo pot it’s so simple!

The family loves Chinese herbal chicken soup and thankfully shops sell plenty of the ready made herbal ingredients.

To make this dish, it is really about buying, and then throwing all in and wait it out. I love it!

The above are some of the root ingredients that come in the packet. With it are also a small packet of goji berries. I added some red dates which I kept in the fridge in the mix too.

My thermal pot is a small one but it’s enough for the four of us and even for leftovers the next day! I only added three large pieces of chicken meat to it.

Boil furiously for ten minutes or more then cover in the thermal pot.

Since it’s fasting month, it was a perfect dish to keep.

The taste is sublime! So chickeny and herbally! I served it with rice, and fried broccoli with beef, omelette and plenty of fresh coriander.

Chinese, Places, Singapore

TFF Chicken Rice

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Singapore’s national dish of the people’s choice. Haha. When you get really good halal chicken rice, you hardly go anywhere else. Fragrant oily chickeny goodness. And you know it’s gotta be good when there’s not only a long queue for it but there are non-Muslims Chinese in the queue. Yup, this place is the bomb for us! Many likes!